Biker war veteran shoved by cops during charity motorcycle run files complaint

Woodenbong, New South Wales, AU  (March 11, 2018) BTN — A war veteran says he has filed formal complaints about the behaviour of police who conducted a mass stop of motorcycle riders on a charity run in northern New South Wales.

Biker Michael Parr being hassled by the police 

About 150 riders were pulled over in Woodenbong at the weekend as part of a cross-border operation targeting outlaw criminal motorcycle clubs. Police allege officers seized a prohibited weapon, and issued 21 defect notices and 50 traffic infringements.

One man was also charged with using offensive language.

One of the riders, 58-year-old Michael Parr, said there was a single member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club on the ride, with the rest coming from social clubs.

“We had probably 20 to 30 social clubs on that ride, 97 registered bikes on the ride, all social club members,” he said. “Ages from about 18 through to 60, various physical conditions, males and females.”

Mr Parr has alleged he was shoved by one of the officers involved, and said as a returned serviceman and member of the Veterans Motorcycle Club he expected better treatment. Biker Trash Network

“I leaned forward to him to say you are not going to disrespect me,” he said. “I’ve gone overseas to fight for this country. I’ve got my ribbon bars on my vest and you are showing me no respect. “Then he turns around and shoves me, so how do you think I feel?”

Operation a crime prevention strategy, police say

But police have dubbed the joint-agency operation a success, saying it enforced consorting legislation, firearm and traffic laws.

Officers from the New South Wales Police Force, Queensland Police Service and Australian Federal Police carried out 70 random breath tests, 30 drug tests and 69 bike and person searches as part of Operation Chappell.

Tweed-Byron crime manager, Detective Chief Inspector Brendon Cullen, said the operation aimed to disrupt any potential criminal activity on the cross-border run.

“I would say that we intercepted the people before offences were committed, and that was the whole strategy of the operation,” he said. “To stop them as soon as they come across the border so they do not commit offences in this state. “So from that perspective I would say that’s very successful.”

Detective Chief Inspector Cullen said the operation targeted people who chose to associate with members of outlaw motorcycle gangs.

“This operation wants to send a clear message for those who associate with these people who claim to be that 1 per cent of the population that doesn’t abide by the law,” he said. “We will intercept them if they come across the border into New South Wales. We’ll use the legislation that is available to us to make them unwelcome in our state.”

Lawyer questions safety of mass stop

A Queensland lawyer said he was disgusted by the attitude of police during the operation.

Chris Main, from Alibi Criminal Defence, said he had been phoned by one of the riders involved, then called police at the scene to raise his own concerns.

Mr Main said he questioned the safety of pulling a large group of people over on the side of the road, including a diabetic rider who needed water and to relieve himself.

“I was quite disgusted to hear that the police view, after listening to what I had to say about safety and the comfort of the riders, their view [was]‘I don’t care, we’re going to do what we like’,” he said.

Mr Main said as a civil libertarian, he was drawn to the case.

“Motorcycle enthusiasts are a group of people who like motorcycles. That is not criminal,” he said. “If government or police or whatever group suspects someone of criminality, well then they can build a case, and they can charge them for that criminal act" he said.

“I don’t think it’s suitable or appropriate for Parliament to make laws which allow police to criminalise people, anyone, just on the company that they choose or the hobbies they decide to undertake.”

SOURCE: BrinkWire

Canadian military members banned from associating with outlaw bikers

Toronto, Ontario, CA (March 9, 2018) BTN — The Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces have issued a nationwide general order banning members of Canada’s military from associating with a variety of groups, including outlaw biker clubs.

The general order was issued in February, almost four years after a military police intelligence report warned that some active and retired troops have an uncomfortably close alliance with outlaw motorcycle clubs.

The February 2018 general order addresses several banned groups. Among other things, it warns members that they must avoid any association that a member of the military “knows, or ought to know, promote racism, sexism, misogyny, violence, xenophobia, homophobia, ableism and discriminatory views with respect to particular religions or faiths.”

Bikers hanging a banner outside the Hells Angels Nomads compound before their Canada Run on July 22, 2016 in Carlsbad Springs, Ont. 

It also bars members from “participation in an activity of, or membership in, a group or organization that a CAF (Canadian Armed Forces) member knows, or ought to know, is connected with criminal activities…”

A Canadian Forces spokesperson told the Star that this includes a ban on associating with outlaw biker gangs. In Canada, the Hells Angels and Outlaws are considered by police to be outlaw biker gangs.

The 2018 general order follows a July 2014 report obtained by the Star under the Access to Information Act which says that some 155 active and retired military personnel associate with outlaw bikers, “threatening security clearances and reliability, and impacting on CAF operations.”

In the heavily censored report obtained by the Star, 48 of 69 pages are totally blanked out for a variety of security reasons, including concerns that its release might reveal the identity of confidential sources or be related to investigations. The 2014 military intelligence investigation, called “Operation Nighthawk,” notes that some 80 active Canadian Armed Forces members and some 75 retirees belonged to veteran-based motorcycle clubs, called “V-B MC.”

“Many of these V-B MCs are associating with .. Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMG), which are considered criminal organizations,” the report continues. “According to the Personnel Security Screening Office (PSSO), ‘CF members are of interest to OMGs (outlaw motorcycle gangs) in view of their access to weapons, ammunition and explosives, as well as their military training,’” the report says.

The report also notes there is a long and complicated history between outlaw bikers and the military, and that several outlaw biker clubs have military origins that date back to World War II.

“When servicemen returned from the war (WWII) they likely found the transition back to civilian life monotonous or more than they could handle,” the report states. “Feeling disenfranchised and cast out of normal society, they searched for relief and the company of kindred spirits, and perhaps to relive some of the wilder aspects of what they had experienced overseas.”

A Hells Angels MC calendar from 2005

 The report notes that original members of the Hells Angels included American members of a World War II fighter squadron who painted “Hell’s Angels” on the side of aircraft. (The motorcycle club has since decided to spell its name without an apostrophe).

In Toronto, local Hells Angels referenced their military roots in 2004 when they briefly put up a billboard by the Don Valley Parkway, which included a picture of troops by a military aircraft with “HELLS ANGELS” painted on its side. The caption of the billboard stated “Still fighting for democracy & freedom.)

Since World War II, there have been waves of veterans who have formed motorcycle clubs. Returning servicemen from the Vietnam War formed the Bandidos, Mongols, Sons of Silence, Vagos and Warlocks motorcycle clubs, the report notes.

Operation Nighthawk was launched in 2012 after investigators with the Military Police Criminal Intelligence Program noted that “many veteran-based motorcycle clubs emulated the structure and operation of outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMG),” the report says.

“More worrisome were observations that DND/CAF members of these MCs were rumoured to be associating directly and indirectly with members and associates of known OMGs,” the report says.

The report continues that many members of veterans’ motorcycle clubs joined them “blindly,” with the intention of not associating with members of outlaw motorcycle clubs.

The report describes membership in veterans’ motorcycle clubs as “a gateway … to the OMG-lifestyle (outlaw motorcycle gang) and the criminal environment.”

The report expresses uneasiness between members of military-based motorcycle clubs and outlaw bikers, stating “it is of concern that any association to these types of groups provide a possible gateway not only to the OMG lifestyle but the criminal environment as well.”

“There exists the potential for members to be coerced into providing access to CAF/DND (Canadian Armed Forced/ Department of National Defence) assets/ expertise and information which can be used to further the criminal enterprise of the OMG,” the report says.

“Currently there is no policy regarding a CAF member becoming a member or associating with members and/or associates of OMGs,” the report says.

“There is no policy or consistent order regulating or banning the wearing of colours or other club identifiers while on DND property,” the report continues. “There also is no policy regarding the invitation of OMG members onto DND establishments.”

SOURCE: The Star

Man says Outlaws MC members beat him in Bay City bar

Bay City, MI (March 7, 2018) BTN — In a quiet courtroom, a prosecutor played video footage of a bar patron being punched by another customer, then stomped by two men. According to witnesses, the beatdown was perpetrated by two bikers who were vexed over a photo the assaulted man had reportedly taken.

And to hear the victim tell it, he hadn't even taken a photo in the first place.

Such was the testimony during the March 6 preliminary examination of Eric J. Kerkau, 46, and Arthur R. Miller, 33, both charged with a 10-year felony count of assault with intent to cause great bodily harm.

Eric Kerkau (L) and Arthur Miller (R) 

Ashley Schwartz, the first witness called by Bay County Assistant Prosecutor Thomas, testified she had been bartending at the Whyte Goose Inn, 108 State St., the early morning of Dec. 27. About 1 a.m., an argument broke out between Scott M. Peterson, 49, and Kerkau and Miller regarding a photo Peterson had supposedly taken, Schwartz said.

"One gentlemen stood up, took his coat off, and tried to initiate a fight," Schwartz said, identifying this man as Miller. "I tried to stop it. The gentlemen that tried to initiate a fight tried to get Scott to come outside and fight him, but he would not go. The other gentleman (Kerkau) who was still in the bar ... took a few steps back and just sucker-punched (Peterson). It just proceeded from there."

Schwartz said Miller came back inside and joined Kerkau in punching and kicking Peterson.

"There was so much chaos at the time, it was hard to tell how many times he was hit," she said. As the assault occurred, Schwartz called 911.

Cross-examined by defense attorneys Matthew Boucher and Brian Jean, Schwartz said Peterson had been sitting at the bar with his girlfriend, playing with his phone. She didn't notice if he had taken a photo of Kerkau or Miller or not, she said.

During the dispute with Peterson, Miller had made comments about being "black and white" and that "nobody needs to have any black and white on their phones," Schwartz said.

Jean asked Schwartz why she told Bay County Central Dispatch that Peterson was being assaulted by members of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. She replied that she wanted responding police to be aware of who the assailants were in case they had weapons on them.

"It's just from working in bars and experiences with other fights with different biker groups, it's common for some of them to have weapons," Schwartz said.

Called to the stand after Schwartz, Peterson said he and his girlfriend had gone to the Whyte Goose after having dinner on Midland Street and a drink at Stables Martini & Cigar Bar, 804 E. Midland St. They arrived at the Whyte Goose between 11:30 p.m. and midnight, he said. He said he did not know Kerkau or Miller.

Miller and Kerkau were already at the Whyte Goose when Peterson arrived, he said. He wasn't there long before Miller and Kerkau confronted him, he said.

"They were accusing me of having pictures of them on my phone," he said. "Miller was trying to get me to come outside with him. I didn't know what the heck they were talking about. I refused to go outside with him."

Peterson denied having any photos of Miller or Kerkau on his phone.

Peterson and his girlfriend sat at the bar, with Kerkau sitting nearby. A short while later, Kerkau again accused Peterson of having photos of him on his phone, he said.

"Before I knew it, I got blasted in the back of the head by Eric," Peterson said. "He hit me once that I know of. I turned around towards him and then I got clocked in the side of the head by Arthur. Then we got all tangled up and I went down to the ground and they were hitting me and kicking me. I was just trying to cover up at that point."

Peterson sustained injuries to his shoulder, knee and ribs. He suffered a slightly detached retina in his right eye, which has required two laser surgeries. He also required six staples to mend a wound in the back of his scalp, he said.

Under cross-examination, Peterson said he had two IPA beers with dinner, one at Stables, and half of one at the Whyte Goose. He said he was not feeling intoxicated.

Asked by Jean if he had seen Kerkau and Miller at Stables, Peterson said he hadn't noticed them there. He added he had left Stables due to police arriving there to deal with some issue, and that he's not a fan of police.

Jean then asked him about his prior convictions on larceny-related charges and if he considers himself an honest man. Peterson replied that he does consider himself honest.

Since the Whyte Goose incident, Peterson in January was charged with a misdemeanor count of domestic violence.

Jean asked him to describe the injuries he sustained.

"Senseless and severe," Peterson replied. "It's ridiculous what happened, I'll tell you that."

Bay City Public Safety Officer Todd Armstrong testified that when he arrived at the bar, Peterson was lying on the floor. In the course of his investigation, Armstrong obtained the bar's surveillance camera footage of the incident, which Assistant Prosecutor Hausmann played in the hearing.

The silent footage shows Peterson standing at the bar, only to punched by another man. The first assailant is then joined by another man and the pair proceed to beat Peterson as other patrons try breaking up the assault.

After the video ended, Hausmann asked Armstrong what it means to him when a man describes himself as "black and white." The officer replied that based on his training and experience, he would assume that man would be associated with the Outlaws.

Armstrong added he recovered a necklace at scene bearing a Black Pistons medallion. The Black Pistons is a support club of the Outlaws. Armstrong added that Kerkau's Facebook page featured references to his "black and white brothers."

Questioned by the defense, Armstrong said he was unaware if police searched Peterson's phone to see if he had or had not taken photos of Miller or Kerkau.

After Armstrong testified, Hausmann asked Bay County District Judge Timothy J. Kelly to allow him to add a 20-year charge of gang membership to each defendant's case. Boucher and Jean objected to this and Kelly ended up siding with them.

Kelly did, however, bind both men's cases over to Circuit Court for trial. Kerkau and Miller are free on bond.

The Outlaws Motorcycle Club was established in 1935 in McCook, Illinois. Since then, it has expanded to 28 countries. It has four Michigan chapters, including one in Bay City. In 2006, five members of the Bay City chapter were involved in a shootout with the Hell's Angels in South Dakota.

Through its website, the club is adamant that it is not a criminal organization.

"We may not live by the rules of society, but we do live by its laws," the site states.

SOURCE: MLive

Mongols MC hit with another round of federal charges, including murder

Clarksville, TN (March 8, 2018) BTN— Federal prosecutors on Thursday announced another wave of charges against members of a Clarksville motorcycle club, including new allegations of murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking.

The charges are part of a continuing investigation into the impact of organized crime and drug dealing in Montgomery County and Middle Tennessee. Nineteen members and associates of the local Mongols Motorcycle Club chapter were charged.

Fifteen of those suspects were already named in a January indictment that included allegations of shooting a woman dead in a graveyard, setting a business on fire and bringing more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine into Middle Tennessee.

The new indictment adds four suspects, and accuses those men of kidnapping and killing Stephen Cole, a fellow club member who was considered missing for months. Biker Trash Network

The newly added suspects were:

William Nelper, aka “Flip,” 49, of Trenton, Kentucky;

William Boylston, aka “JC,” 27;

Jason Meyerholz, aka “Country,” 43; and

Christopher Wilson, 35, all of Clarksville, Tennessee.

Cole was one of the suspects in the January indictment, but authorities could not find him during their initial arrest sweep. According to a summary of the new indictment released by the U.S. Attorney's office in Nashville, those men conspired to kidnap and kill Cole on Nov. 19.

Boylston, Meyerholz and Wilson kidnapped Cole at gunpoint and then stripped him of his shoes, wallet, and cell phones, according to the indictment.

Then, prosecutors say, Boylston and Meyerholz took Cole to Nelper’s home in Trenton, Kentucky, where they killed him, dumped his body and burned the evidence.

All of the new defendants were charged with the kidnapping that led to Cole's death. Boylston, Meyerholz and Nelper were charged with his murder.

The second indictment also includes charges of racketeering, money laundering and drug dealing.

If convicted, the four new suspects face a minimum of life in prison with the possibly of the death penalty.

All but two of the remaining 15 suspects face life in prison if convicted of the charges they face.

The Mongols identify as an “outlaw” motorcycle gang based in California, according to authorities. The Clarksville chapter was founded in 2015, according to the indictment.

Federal investigators teamed with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Clarksville police, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies to investigate the club's activities after a woman was found shot to death in a graveyard in May 2015.

Prosecutors have tied the woman's death with at least two of the 19 suspects in the case.

U.S. Attorney Don Cochran of Nashville plans to pursue similar investigations in the future, driven by the focus on violent crime at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Cochran's office got federal approval this year to hire two new prosecutors focused specifically on violent crime.

SOURCE: TENNESSEAN

Police Pounced - Hells Angels lose their arsenal in clubhouse raids

Limburg, Belgium (March 7, 2018) BTN — Police raided the club houses of the Hells Angels motorbike club in Lanaken and Genk in Limburg on Tuesday night seizing an impressive collection of weapons. The searches formed part of a massive police operation and an investigation by federal prosecutors across Belgium and the Netherlands.

Hells Angels members outside clubhouse

In all sixteen other premises across the country were raided. 12 people were detained in total. Police encountered an impressive arsenal of guns and ammunition. In all fifty weapons were seized including a rocket launcher, eight firearms and 800 rounds of ammunition. Bullet proof vests with Belgian police logos were also impounded. BikerTrashNetwork.

Items seized during police raids on clubhouses 

A series of violent incidents involving members and non-members and extortion, drugs and arms trafficking and organised crime triggered the investigation. The investigation is also linked to a drugs enquiry that started last December and involved nine house searches in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

SOURCE: Flanders News

Hells Angels Interview On Geraldo Rivera

A 1974 television interview with the Hells Angels from Good Night America, hosted by Geraldo Rivera, featuring Edward "Deacon" Proudfoot (president of the Oakland charter), Sandy Alexander (president of the New York City charter), and Vincent "Big Vinnie" Girolamo.

Swap Meet back on after murder but Mongols MC and Iron Order banned

Denver, CO  (December 26, 2017) BTN— Two years after a member of the Mongols MC was murdered at a swap meet, the event is being allowed to return to the National Western Stock Show complex.

One person was killed and several others wounded  in a confrontation between a member of the Mongols MC and the Iron Order in February 2016. Derrick Duran of the Iron Order, was not charged after he claimed he fired in self defense at a member of  the Mongols MC.

Iron Order walking upstairs with gun in hand

“One Mongol punched me four times. I said stop it ‘Stop it leave me alone.’ Boom. I discharged a weapon,” he said in an interview with police from that day. A Mongol was carried downstairs and Duran said he went to police. “I said, ‘I shot back in self defense here’s my weapons,'” he said.

The event was banned the following year.

Now its website announces it is back — but under certain conditions from the City of Denver and the Stock Show. Biker Trash Network

The Mongols MC and the Iron Order are banned, and no knives, guns, drugs or outside alcohol will be allowed.

Confederation of Clubs’ attorney, Wade Eldridge, said their members, which include the Mongols, would not attend due to city demands.

“The Confederation of Clubs would sign a document telling the city we would pay them if there was anything bad that happened. if someone got shot, beat up or perhaps if anyone slipped on a banana peel.”

So the Confederation is offering a different event the same day at Harley Davidson in Parker to benefit veterans.

The Colorado Confederation of Clubs event will support the Vets for Vets of Colorado   

At the Stock show event January 27-28th there will be metal detectors and extra security to prevent a return of violence. The Biker Trash Network posted both event links after the video below.

EVENT LINKS:

Colorado Confederation of Clubs

Colorado Motorcycle Expo 

NEWS SOURCE:

CBS Denver

Outlaws MC clubhouses tones down outside image

Joliet, IL  (December 26, 2017) BTN— The Outlaws Motorcycle Club’s clubhouse in Joliet has been in the spotlight ever since it was searched in connection with the death of a young bartender who went missing in November.

The Outlaws clubhouse in the 1900 block of East Washington Street has attracted controversy in the past two years over the display of a Confederate flag, as well as having signage deemed inappropriate by a local pastor because of how close it was to the Barr Park playground.

The clubhouse for the Outlaws MC in Joliet has since been scrubbed

The clubhouse attracted more controversy after Will County sheriff’s deputies searched it Nov. 16 as part of an investigation into the death of 24-year-old Kaitlyn Kearns of Mokena.

One of the club’s former members and Kearns’ boyfriend, Jeremy Boshears, 32, of Coal City, was arrested for allegedly killing her.

Related | Outlaws MC member enraged before girlfriends slaying

Related | Outlaws MC member charged with murder of female bartender

Related | Outlaws clubhouse searched over murder investigation

The motorcycle club’s motto “God Forgives, Outlaws Don’t” was once prominently displayed on the front entrance of the clubhouse. It has since been scrubbed, along with many other signs, except for the acronym for the American Outlaws Association.Yet still behind the clubhouse is a small stage with the Outlaws’ name and a skull symbol.

“They’ve been totally cooperative throughout this investigation,” Jungles said.

No one answered the door to the Outlaws’ clubhouse Friday. Emails sent to the Outlaws Motorcycle Club were not returned.

Lake, who runs Saloon 2 with his son and daughter, said he has a few friends who are part of the Outlaws and many of its members either consist of old-timers or newer ones who are in either their mid-20s or 30s. He said their members visit his bar and he’s never had a problem. “They walked my bartenders to their cars and make sure everyone is safe,” Lake said. Biker Trash Network

Stage area behind the Joliet MC's clubhouse

Despite the controversy, Wade Lake, 53, one of the owners of Saloon 2, 1827 E. Washington St., said he believes the Outlaws get a bad rap and he’s never had a problem with their members. Will County Deputy Chief Dan Jungles said the Outlaws members have been open to speaking with deputies.

Leona Tichenor, a pastor at Ingalls Park United Methodist Church, has been critical of the clubhouse over its motorcycle club symbols and motto being displayed near the Barr Park playground.

“That’s a very adult-use (display) next to a children’s playground,” Tichenor said.

In an email, she said she appreciated that the Outlaws have “toned down the exterior signage and are only flying the Stars and Stripes,” referring the U.S. flag that now waves outside the entrance.

Jungles said the county sheriff’s office has not had any calls to the clubhouse itself. Deputies have also not received any blowback when speaking with Outlaws members for the investigation concerning Kearns’ death, he said.

Based on what’s been indicated to deputies, Boshears, who faces a first-degree murder charge, belonged to the Outlaws but his membership was revoked after Kearns had gone missing, Jungles said. He said he assumed it might have something to do with the criminal case.

“They have their own reasons for doing what they do. That’s not something I can really comment on,” Jungles said. Kearns worked at Woody’s bar, 1008 E. Washington St., roughly a mile from the clubhouse, and was with Boshears on the night and early morning she was last seen before she went missing on Nov. 13, police said.

Kearns was later found dead from a gunshot wound to the head on Nov. 16 in her 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee in a pole barn in Aroma Park Township in a rural area of Kankakee County. Jungles has said someone he refused to identify drove Boshears from Aroma Park Township after Kearns’ death. He declined to specify where Kearns’ death occurred.

Will County State’s Attorney Spokesman Charles B. Pelkie declined to comment on the case as it is under prosecution. Boshears’ attorney Neil Patel has declined to comment on whether Boshears’ is an Outlaw member and where Kearns’ death occurred, citing attorney-client privilege.

Boshears has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. His bond was set at $10 million and he remains in custody at the Will County jail.

SOURCE: The Herald News